As the gardens are very private most people enjoy the hot-tub without costumes and we assure privacy for non-naturist guests.

Surprisingly Scottish “midges” and other biting insects are not very common and rarely a problem by the ponds even in the evening and so far we have had no customer complaints about bites . Perhaps it has something to do with the bats and swallows commonly skimming the surface.

A circular pondside walk leads to a summer house with glass doors looking back towards The Waterhouse. This is ideal for reading or a children’s hideaway. Parents should supervise children playing near the pond at all times.

The Waterhouse is fully equipped with cutlery, crockery, glassware, pots and pans, cooker, fridge freezer, electric kettle, toaster, tea towels, (vacuum cleaner on request), smoke detector, and fire extinguisher.

Bed linen and towels are provided as well as a starter pack of local produce and cleaning materials.

In keeping with the environmental ethos of The Waterhouse and gardens, the building and contents have been designed to minimise carbon emissions and to be as natural a build as possible. All timber in the building and decks comes from local and/or sustainable sources. The living roof is clad in green sedum to lessen environmental impact on the landscape. The thick insulation is natural Thermafleece, sheep’s wool. Interior paints and varnish are safe and natural green products. The windows have heat reflective glass. To reduce energy use, all light bulbs are low energy and electrical appliances have been kept to a minimum. Water is heated using a solar panel and a bio-mass wood pellet stove is the main source of heat.

There is no telephone or internet connection in The Waterhouse. Reception for mobile phones is poor in the property but gets better as you drive towards town. The house phone can be used in emergencies or for incoming messages.

There is a launderette in Kirkcudbright.

There is disabled access to The Waterhouse, however, the terraced nature of the gardens, makes wheelchair use of the gardens difficult. The large deck is accessible.

The gardens are strongly designed for nature conservation with large numbers of bird species present, and over 100 species of wild flowers and masses of butterflies. It is a dog and cat free zone and as such we ask visitors not to bring pets except by prior arrangement.

The Waterhouse 1 Stockarton Cottage, Kirkcudbright. DG6 4XS. T: 01557 331266 E: waterhousekbt@aol.com

Accommodation

Building on The Waterhouse was started in early 2006 and completed in May 2007. The building is of exceptionally high quality and has been built by ourselves, from our own design and using the skills of local craftsmen. It is nearly all homemade, down to the doors and windows.

It is surrounded by stunning, undulating countryside, nestled by a farm track with fields full of sheep and cows in summer months. It is only 3 miles from the coast and woodland and hill walks are minutes away, as are a number of lochs.

The Waterhouse has a DOUBLE BEDROOM with a chunky wooden bed and a glass door opening on to the deck. There is a second, small bedroom with built in, comfortable, wide BUNK BEDS for children or agile adults.

The bathroom between bedrooms has a solar heated shower (with mains back up), WC washbasin and heated towel rail. Water is from a well, automatically pumped and filtered.

The well-appointed kitchen, with gas hob and oven, is part of the open-plan living space, which has wrap around South facing windows overlooking the pond. This has a dining table for 4, a leather sofa and chairs. It has a built in good quality CD & RADIO system. A 21 inch flat wide screen DVD player is available on request free of charge Large oak framed glass double doors open onto a large sundeck for exclusive use by Waterhouse guests. All furniture is high quality, UK crafted and wooden, like the house. The interior has a high open spacious roof with large areas of windows giving a light airy feeling throughout the year. Heating is from a wood pellet biomass stove in the living room, which is like a wood burning stove, but with the push button convenience of an electric stove. Small space heaters are fitted in the bedrooms and movable electric heaters provide backup.

The deck has tables, chairs and sunloungers where you can eat, relax and sunbathe This has steps leading onto a pond side sundeck with a heated outside hot tub that can be used anytime of year, even New Years day. We find this wonderful in winter months and we think The Waterhouse makes a perfect winter-short break as well as for Summer holidays, particularly from nearby cities like Glasgow or Edinburgh.